I'm pretty sure this subject must have been touched upon on here at some point but I feel like a little musing so please indulge me
I've been a rock and metal fan for years and since I've been involved in Burlesque I have been struck by how much burlesque, vaudeville and theatre has found its way or directly influenced certain performers in appearance and their live performances.
This came to me when I saw Alice Cooper for the second time last year. Both times I have been struck by how he plays a character of "Alice Cooper" in every performance who becomes a villian of the show who gets punished for various misdeeds he commits during the performance, either by the guillotine or the gallows, cheered on fully by the audience.
He also uses a heavy amount of props such as a baby doll with a stake in it's heart for the song Dead Babies. He has always performed this way for years and explains his reasons by quoting Groucho Marx who became very good friends with Alice before he died and after seeing one of Alice's gigs proclaimed "This is Vaudeville's last chance..."
Alice is by no means the only or the first shock rocker, many would argue that Screamin' Jay Hawkins, the man who released the original and in my view far superior I Put A Spell on You holds that Title. Jay would dress up like a Voodoo Witch Doctor emerging from a coffin and carrying a skull and setting off smoke bombs to freak his audience out.
Directly responding to Jay would be the UK's own horror rocker, the late Screaming Lord Sutch, who before founding the Monster Raving Loony Party would honour Jay's act with his own menagrie of horror gimmicks and leaving us with the classic song "Jack the Ripper".
And of course let us not forget the legend that is Arthur Brown, and his love for wearing a metal helmet with blazing flame atop for the classic "Fire"
Theatre and spectacle have always been a part of many early rock and metal groups, one of the earliest bands being KISS, with a mixture of makeup, fire eating, guitar fireworks and of course Gene Simmon's infamous blood spitting. KISS were great musicians but their popularity came to be because of their live performances.
There has always been a love of the macabre in rock but done with a little bit of humour, precisely what Burlesque is all about, and as KISS became more tame, (even ditching the makeup in the 80s) other acts took up the mantle becoming more extreme such as the wonderful King Diamond and Marilyn Manson, with his sending up of facist rallies in the Anti-Christ Superstar tour, though some may argue that the openly anti-christian Manson wasnt aware of the irony when he used that rally parody to proclaim to the crowd to rip up the Bible.
But burlesque in rock isnt always about props, even the Sex Pistols John Lydon has happily proclaimed his band was music hall, something which the mainstream music press has been quick to criticise when reviewing the recent reunion gigs. The Sex Pistols were Arthur Askey turned rock star, they not only criticised society they sent it up with the most uncommercial (at least then) style of music and a great degree of humour.
In today's music scene there are bands that hold this sense of theatre close to their hearts, indie faves The Horrors are the bastard children of Screaming Lord Sutch and bands such as GWAR and Eurovision winners Lordi are horror costumed and prop wielding maniacs!
Burlesque and Vaudeville are alive and well not only in this community but in other corners of our culture were it has never died, only swapped the pasties for a leather jacket.
Long may it continue.
DG
Burlesque and Shock Rock
Linear Mode
